Synopsis
Tales from the Cincinnati Bearcats Locker Room covers 10 coaching eras, from former National Football League standout John Socko Wiethe (1946-52) to Mick Cronin, the Cincinnati native who returned to his alma mater in 2006 and resurrected the program. Former Cincinnati Enquirer sports editor Michael Perry, a former UC basketball beat reporter, interviewed more than 85 former players, coaches, recruits, and basketball staff members to deliver a comprehensive look inside the Bearcat basketball program.
The book takes readers into locker rooms, practices, and game huddles as it recounts memorable moments and unforgettable games, including the Bearcats’ record-setting seven-overtime victory over Bradley in 1981; UC's controversial 24-11 loss to Kentucky in 1983; and that fateful day, March 9, 2000, when National Player of the Year Kenyon Martin lay crumpled on the basketball court in Memphis, Tennessee.
Fans will also read about Hall of Famer Jack Twyman registering for classes at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 1951 before deciding to attend Cincinnati; former coach Ed Badger hitchhiking in the snow to see a recruit in Pennsylvania; and Tony Yates finding a first-team All-Metro Conference player in a former marching band member in Macon, Mississippi. This reissue, which also provides insight into the Bob Huggins era, makes for a rollicking trip down memory lane, and, for those who did not start following the team until more recently, a fun history lesson.